Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham (15 February 1748 – 6 June 1832) was a British philosopher, jurist, and social reformer. He is regarded as the founder of modern utilitarianism. Bentham became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism. He advocated individual and economic freedom, the separation of church and state, freedom of expression, equal rights for women, the right to divorce, and the decriminalizing of homosexual acts. He called for the abolition of slavery, the abolition of the death penalty, and the abolition of physical punishment, including that of children. He has also become known in recent years as an early advocate of animal rights. Though strongly in favor of the extension of individual legal rights, he opposed the idea of natural law and natural rights, calling them "nonsense upon stilts". Bentham's students included his secretary and collaborator James Mill, the latter's son, John Stuart Mill, the legal philosopher John Austin, as well as Robert Owen, one of the founders of Utopian socialism. Bentham has been described as the "spiritual founder" of University College London, though he played little direct part in its foundation. Tossup Questions # During the American Revolution, this thinker criticized the Declaration of Independence in his "A Short Review of the Declaration." He criticized slavery and animal abuse by claiming that "the question is not, 'Can they reason?' nor, 'Can they talk?' but, 'Can they suffer?'" in his Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. This thinker, whose body is preserved in a cabinet at University College London, proposed the creation of a penitentiary that would allow a single watchman to observe all inmates, called the Panopticon. He described his ethical philosophy with the "greatest happiness principle." For 10 points, name this mentor of John Stuart Mill who founded utilitarianism. # This thinker argued that rights should be awarded not based on the ability to reason, but based on the ability to suffer, which is known as his "insuperable line". This thinker used the variables "extent", "duration", and "propinquity" to determine the moral statuses of actions. In sections such as "whether it hurts population" and "whether it robs women", a work by this thinker dismantles various historical arguments for the criminalization of (*) homosexual sex. This author of Offences Against Oneself developed a "hedonistic calculus" that determines how much pleasure an action produces. For 10 points, name philosopher whose The Principles of Morals and Legislation describes the greatest happiness principle, making him the founder of Utilitarianism. # This thinker called the U.S. Declaration of Independence a "hodgepodge of confusion" in his "Short Review of the Declaration." He outlined seven criteria, including intensity, duration, and certainty, for the desirability of a given action. He rejected the idea of natural rights, since rights themselves can only be granted by the law. This man attacked another author's "antipathy to reform" of the laws in a critique of William Blackstone's Commentaries. He formulated the "felicific calculus" and wrote the Fragment on Government, in addition to championing the "greatest happiness principle." For 10 points, name this founder of Utilitarianism. # He wrote a book attacking the New Testament under the pseudonym Gamaliel Smith, while another work concludes that laws punishing masturbation will never be implemented. In addition to Not Paul But Jesus and Offences Against One's Self, he also attempted to diagram the motives and consequences of human action in A Table on the Springs of Action. Another work consists of thirteen letters about Britain setting a legal maximum rate of interest, while another attacks William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England. Those works, Defense of Usury and Fragment on Government, were published around the same time as a work that discusses psychological hedonism. An Introduction to Principles of Morals and Legislation was written by, for 10 points, what English philosopher who was known for originating the concept of the panopticon and for founding utilitarianism? # This philosopher criticized the tendency for the court to employ "special jurors" in his Elements of the Art of Packing. This philosopher defended the right to loan money at interest rates in a series of letters to Adam Smith, collectively entitled Defense of Usury. This philosopher formulated felicific calculus, a system for determining one's level of pleasure, a topic discussed in his work, The Principles of Morals and Legislation. A proponent of the "greatest happiness principle," for 10 points, name this English teacher of John Stuart Mill and founder of utilitarianism.